JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden discussed ways to counter the Iranian threat and the Ukraine crisis during a phone call on Sunday, the two leaders announced.
The White House said in a statement that Biden and Bennett discussed “the shared security and other challenges in the Middle East region, including the threat posed by Iran and its proxies.”
Israel considers Iran to be an existential threat and has vowed to prevent Iran from ever becoming a nuclear power. Iran denies it seeks to create a nuclear bomb.
Bennett praised Biden for his “steadfast support of Israel,” especially for America’s assistance with Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
Biden “underscored his commitment to expanding stability and partnerships across the Middle East region, as exemplified by the Abraham Accords, together with Israelis and Palestinians enjoying equal measures of security, freedom, and prosperity,” the White House statement said.
The pair discussed the recent US operation in Syria that resulted in the death of the leader of the Islamic State. Bennett’s office said, “the world is now a safer place thanks to the courageous operation.”
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
Bennett and Biden also touched on “challenges outside of the Middle East region, including the potential of further Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the White House said. Biden administration officials warned again on Sunday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could come soon, but that it hopes Russia will de-escalate the situation through diplomatic means.
The call came against the backdrop of critical talks in Vienna between Iran and world powers to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – which sought to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon by putting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
The deal collapsed after former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, and Iran has been increasingly violating its terms. Israel objected to the initial deal, arguing that it didn’t do enough to curb Iran’s nuclear program and that any agreement should also address Iran’s military activity across the Middle East.
On Friday, the Biden administration restored a sanction waiver that will Iran to cooperate with other countries on civilian nuclear projects. The waiver was “designed to facilitate discussions that would help to close a deal on a mutual return” to the 2015 nuclear deal, but isn’t a sign that an agreement is around the corner, Reuters reported.
Iran is closely watching the nuclear negotiations in Vienna, but Bennett reiterated on Sunday that Israel is not bound by any agreement reached between world powers and Iran. Israel has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear program if needed.
“Whoever thinks that an agreement will increase stability — is mistaken. It will temporarily delay enrichment but all of us in the region will pay a heavy, disproportionate price for it,” Bennett told his Cabinet early Sunday. “Israel reserves its right to act in any case, with or without an agreement.”
Bennett’s national security adviser, Eyal Hulata, told the Cabinet that Israel is preparing for a situation where a new nuclear agreement is reached in Vienna, and a situation where there is no deal and no restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, Axios reported.
Hulata also stressed the importance of maintaining good relations with the Biden administration regardless of the outcome in Vienna.
The White House said Biden will visit Israel later this year.
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN
